Halting nature loss and restoring biodiversity require urgent action also in the built environment. The ten largest cities and the Finnish Construction Industry Federation (RT) agreed at the Urban Nature Forum in Espoo on joint means to achieve nature goals.
Finland's largest cities and the Finnish Construction Industry Federation have the same goal: to stop the loss of nature and restore biodiversity by 2030.
At the Urban Nature Forum in Espoo, the ten largest cities and RT outlined the means to achieve the goal. Cooperation will be intensified, especially in sharing nature knowledge and good practices, land use planning and accelerating nature value markets.
"The cooperation document between large cities and RT signed at the Nature Forum sparked a lively dialogue. That and the large number of people at the forum's pitches, checkpoints and parallel sessions speak for themselves about the current situation: cities have a strong need to find nature solutions together with companies, organizations and research institutes," said the Mayor of Espoo. Kai Mykkänen says.
"The new cooperation document concretizes the roles and tasks of RT, its member companies and cities. I consider this a significant breakthrough that leads through dialogue towards practical actions," Mykkänen estimates.
Cities play a crucial role
The Finnish Construction Industry Association (RT) has taken a pioneering role in the construction sector's nature debate. Two years ago, it published a biodiversity roadmap that challenges and tightens the entire construction industry.
“We have recognized that the industry needs to reduce the use of natural resources, promote a circular economy and follow the mitigation hierarchy, and success in these goals requires collaboration across the entire construction value chain. In the roadmap work, cities were identified as one of the most key stakeholders,” RT CEO Aleksi Randell says.
There are many ways to promote biodiversity in the built environment.
“Every company can do something on a construction site, and even small actions can have a big impact. Taking nature into account in the built environment can happen, for example, through procurement, preserving existing nature, smartly managing stormwater and improving soil quality. Clear instructions on nature-respecting construction site practices support local nature outside the construction site areas as well” RT’s Director of Nature Affairs Juha Laurila mentions.
Excerpts from the cooperation document between large cities and RT
- Cities and RT create an operating model for sharing nature knowledge and good practices.
- RT trains companies to produce and utilize environmental assessments and act on the basis of the information, and also creates instructions for the construction site level.
- Forms of cooperation in land use planning are being developed, for example, partnership planning as an alternative.
- RT increases companies' expertise in ecological compensation so that they can utilize, develop and offer ecological compensation projects to cities.
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